From bikini models to hobbits, the best airline safety videos of 2014

Safety in Paradise, which featured scantly clad Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models, got the attention of many.
(Air New Zealand)

Remember those boring airline safety videos of yesteryear? Now it seems like airlines are going to extremes to entertain passengers, while reminding them to buckle up.

From fun flashbacks to beautiful women and funky dance moves, 2014 has had its share of video materpieces that stirred the imagination--and anger. (Whether or not passengers actually started to pay attention remains unclear.)

Check out some of best new airline safety videos from the past year.

“Safety in Paradise” – Air New Zealand

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Released in February, Safety in Paradise featured scantly clad Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition models like Christie Brinkley, Hannah Davis, Jessica Gomes, Ariel Meredith and Chrissy Teigen. It sure got a lot of attention, including from women's right groups who said it was sexists. In July, reports said the Air New Zealand yanked the spot, but the airline insisted that the video was due to be taken out of rotation anyway.

Rockin' out with Virgin America

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This safety video had people dancing in their seats. American director Jon M.Chu and a team of renowned choreographers and dance star boogied to 14 different dance styles, including Broadway, contemporary, jazz, tango, b-boy and break dancing. Over 10 million people have viewed the YouTube viewed the video so far.

Classic movie cartoons on Virgin Atlantic

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Virgin Atlantic used cartoon sea monsters and villains to help capture the attention of passengers. Released one day before the Academy Awards, it was buoyed on awards season fever as it tried to capture the airline's love of cinema. There were not-so-subtle references to Westerns, superheroes and the psychedelic 60s.

Delta’s 80’s throwback

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Fliers of the Atari generation had a little fun with this totally rad safety video that featured big hair, v-shaped electric guitars, Alf, and Rubik’s Cubes. It was a hilarious trip down memory lane (for some), as the video was viewed over one million time on YouTube.

“The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made” – Air New Zealand

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After its Safety in Paradise video controversy, Air New Zealand was at it again, this time using the cinematic greats of The Hobbit films to impart safety information. The video told a tale of Middle Earth zealots on a journey who are helped out by Elijah Wood, Peter Jackson and Richard Taylor as airline passengers. The four-minute video's release came ahead of the third film in the Hobbit trilogy, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, which opens on December 17.

Impromptu comedy routine from Southwest Airlines flight attendant

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Everyone knows a little laughter in the cabin goes a long way. But this hilarious comedy routine on a Southwest flight tickled the ribs of millions. Southwest Airlines flight attendant Martha "Marty" Cobb had one zinger after another. With lines like, "Position your seat belt tight and low across your hips, like my grandmother wears her support bra," and her description of the portable flotation devices as a “teeny, weeny, yellow Southwest bikini” to be deployed in the “unlikely event the pilot lands us near a hot tub,” no wonder the video, posted on YouTube in April, has been viewed almost 19 million times.